SpiceJet signs MoU with GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo for storage, delivery of COVID-19 vaccine

Spicejet

SpiceJet on December 24 announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) to provide cargo services to all vaccine manufacturers in the region.

SpiceXpress, the cargo arm of SpiceJet, aims to provide the first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery to carry COVID–19 vaccines across the domestic and international markets, the carrier said in a release.

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Under the MoU, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo will provide required space for SpiceJet’s vaccine shipments and also train its personnel on the handling of the vaccine, while SpiceJet will deploy a dedicated fleet of freighters, including wide-body aircraft, at Hyderabad airport to handle domestic and international consignments.

“We are delighted to have GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo as a partner in our fight against the pandemic. Delivering COVID-19 vaccines safely not just within India but across the globe is a task we are fully committed to,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

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SpiceJet had recently partnered with Om Logistics Ltd. and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Snowman Logistics.

With a network spanning 54 domestic and 45 international destinations and a fleet of 17 cargo planes, SpiceXpress is capable of flying over 500 tonnes of cargo per day to both domestic and a wide list of international destinations, the airline said.

SpiceXpress had also introduced specialised service Spice Pharma Pro, which can transport sensitive drugs, vaccines blood samples and medicines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40°c to +25°c.